Schmid: Sounders vs LA Galaxy will be ‘real’ Monday Night Football at CenturyLink Field

CenturyLink Field has been a special venue for Monday Night Football over the last eight years, with the Seattle Seahawks posting six consecutive wins on the big stage at CenturyLink Field since 2006. Sounders FC will look to maintain that incredible run that has seen some memorable moments when it hosts the LA Galaxy Monday night in a clash of the two top teams in Major League Soccer over the last six seasons.

“We’ve got real Monday Night Football,” joked Sounders FC Head Coach Sigi Schmid. “It’s going to be great for our fans because it will be something unique.”

The Seahawks have had two home shutouts on Monday Night Football at CenturyLink Field. The first came against the Oakland Raiders in 2006 and the second was against the San Francisco 49ers in 2007. In the six victories for the Seahawks, they have won by a combined score of 152-56, making the spectacle of the event even more memorable to Seattle fans.

Sounders FC wants the game to be just as memorable for its fans this week, but knows it faces a difficult challenge in the LA Galaxy, who is 5-1-3 in its last nine matches and sits fourth in the Western Conference.

“I definitely notice that Monday night game. It’s going to be a big test for us,” said defender Chad Marshall. “I’m sure they’re going to want to come out and take us down. It’s another home game for us, so we want to get three points.”

Sounders FC has only ever played one competitive match on a Monday night – a July 4 meeting at the LA Galaxy in 2011 that finished in a scoreless draw.

Schmid’s club has a six-game winning streak at CenturyLink Field and has held its opponents scoreless over the last 344 minutes dating back to May 7. That home dominance has helped lift Sounders FC to the best record in MLS at 12-4-2.

Keeping that home streak alive could start a new CenturyLink Field tradition.